Loose-leaf binder.



it E. THOMPSON.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION IILBD APR. 11, 1911.

1 ,05 1 ,527, Patented Ja.11.28, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Allorm d E. THOMPSON.

LOOSE LEAP BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.11, 1911.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

2fSHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR:

W; TNESSES EARL THOMPSON, or SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

Application'flled April 11, 1911. Serial ll'o. 020,439.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, EARL THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf ready assemblage of the various componentparts thereof by machinery which, of course; materially reduces the cost of its production.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the binder, portions of the coverboard bein broken away; Fig. 2 an enlarged detail view of a portion of the back; Fig. 3 a yertical sectional view enlarged, the section being taken through the back-board adjacent to one of the loops; Fig. 4 a perspective view of the loop-carrying plate; Fig. 5 a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 a perspective view of a loop mounted upon a separate plate, as contrad-istinguished from the construction shown in the other figures, in which the retaining loops are shown as mounted upon a plate common to all of such loops.

Referring to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, 1 denotes the base or back-board or under cover, which will preferably be made of relatively stiff and firm material, such as binders board or the like, and 2 the cover-board, which may be made of the same or a lighter material, as preferred, and will be of the same size as the base-board. The adjacent edges of the boards 1 and 2 will be secured to each other by flexible strips 3 and4, of linen, leather, or the like, the outer strip 3 bein made of a length greater than the length 0 the boards 1 and 2 so as to provide tabs or ends 5 (see Fig. 2) which, as will be noted upon reference to Fig. 1, may be turned under the inner or upper strip 4, which is of a length approximately the same as that of the coverboards. The adjacent edges of the boards 1 and 2 are separated a distance substantially equal to the height of the paper-retaining loops, forming the back section, which may be designated by 6 (Fig. 3), permitting the cover-board 2 to be thrown over above the base-board 1 or inwardly beneath the same, both of such positions being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. A plurality of paper-retaining loops will preferably be employed, and in the preferred construction such loops will be carried by a single metallic plate, as 7 In the present instance two of such loops are shown though, of course, it will be understood that a greater or less number may be employed, as occasion may require. In the ordinary book or binder, suitable for school loops have been foun s'utficient, and the book purposes, two of such 1 is herein illustrated as provided with this number. The plate 7 will preferably be formed of spring sheet steel, and is provided adjacent-to each loop, with a plurality o prongs or tongues 8, struck out therefrom and ent downwardly. Each of the loops comprises a fixed post 9, the upper end of which is inclined inwardly toward the opposite member of the loop to a slight extent and is provided with a socket or depression 10 in its end. The other member of the loop comprises. a hook-shaped post 11, the free or upper end of which is rounded to a slight extent, as shown in Fig. 3, and when brou ht opposite the post 9 finds its seat in the societ or depression 10. The lower end of the post 11 is reduced and is passed through the outer end of a tongue 12 formed upon the plate by sawing. or otherwise cutting kerfs 13 in the plate, the outer end of the tongue preferably bein narrower than the inner end thereof. T is forms a spring support for the post 11, and when the parts are assembled causes said post to make a ti ht through a washer 15, which underlies the under face of the tongue 12. The reduced end is headed over the washer and a simple and effective swivel joint is thus formed.

When the plate 7 is-secured to the base board 1 by driving the pron s or tongues therethrough and clenching t e same, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5, theheaded lower end of the post 11 rests upon the upper face of the board and forces the free end of the spring seated when the loops are-brought to their closed position.

As will be seen upon an inspection of Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, all-of the metallic parts, with the exception of the posts 9 and 11, are covered by the strips 3 and 4, so that the binder presents a neat appearance, and furthermore, the use of the book or binder will not injure furniture by reason of the fact that 'it has'no metal parts exposed. Y

In Fig. 6 there is shown a loop which is of the same construction as those shown in the previous figures, with the exception that it is mounted upon a short plate. Such plates may, of course, be used instead ofthe plate 7 heretofore described, but the longer plate is preferable by reason of the fact that the loops are always spaced theproper distance apart and are more readily assembled. Furthermore, such plate tends to stiffen the book and prevents it from being accidentally bent or broken.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the upper end of the post 9 might be rounded and the correspondin end ofthe post 11 socketed, but as 'this isa mere reversal of the construction above described, it is not necessary to illustrate the same.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

f1. In a loose-leaif binder, the combination 0 a supportin p ate; a. s ring ton e carried thereby; fixed pos t secured to the plate; andla swiveled post carried by the tongue, said swiveled post being adapted to be swung into locking relation with the {ixed post and to form therewith a closed oop.

2. In a loose-leaf binder, the combination of a plate formed of spring metal; a tongue formed as anintegral portion of said plate; a fixed post carried by the plate; and asecond post swiveled into the outer end of the tongue and adapted to be brought'into locking engagement with the fixed post and to form a closed loop therewith. I

3. In a loose-leaf binder, the combination of a base or back-board; a metallic plate secured to one face thereof adjacent to the back edge of the board, said plate being substantially coextensive with the length of the board; a plurality of spring tongues formed integrally with said plate; a plurality of loops carried by said plate, each loo-p comprising a fixed member and a hook shaped member swiveled into the outer end of the adjacent tongue; a cover-board; and a back connecting said cover-board to the base or back board.

4:. In a loose-leaf binder, the combination of a base board; a metallic plate provided with a series of prongs struck up therefrom, said prongs, when the parts are assembled, being passed through the base board and clenched against the under face thereof; a plurality of spring tongues formed integrally with said plate; a plurality ofloops carried by said plate, each of said loops comprising a fixed post secured adjacent to the outer edge of the plate, and a hook-shaped post swiveled in the free end of the adjacent tongue; a cover-board; and a flexible back securing said cover-board to the base board.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- EARL THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

EDWIN COLLINS, ASA L. M'nRRIoK. 

